CONCERT MUSIC
Concerto for Harp
Orchestration: (1-1-1-1, 2 hrns, timp. + 2 perc., strings)Duration: 30 minutes
The Concerto for Harp is a three-movement work for harp and chamber orchestra incorporating both traditional and non-traditional harp playing techniques. It features colorful textures and lots of rhythmic interest.
“In every harp piece, there are two compositions: the one we hear (the music and notes) and the one we don’t (the configuration of pedal changes and enharmonic spellings.) Coming up with interesting musical ideas is challenging enough, but when writing for the harp, a composer also has to invent a performance scheme that makes those ideas playable. This is a bit like writing a novel and playing a game of chess – all at the same time.
In my Concerto for Harp, I deliberately avoid the typical showy clichés. More than anything, I’ve tried to create an interesting piece of music for harp and orchestra.” — Mark Koval
ENTROPY
For orchestra (4-3-4-3, 4-4-3-1, timp + 4, piano, harp, strings)Duration: 15 minutes
Entropy is based on a lyrical theme that is developed through a series of variations. Over time, these variations volatize, collapse, and eventually resolve into nothingness. The composer writes:
"As a scientific term, entropy describes the tendency of all matter to move toward disorder until it achieves a state of inert uniformity. The term has also been used philosophically to describe doctrines of social decline and degeneration. Such meaning is applied as parable here, alluding to the spiritual chaos that engenders the loss of innocence. Just as the Universe is a system subject to the pull of entropy - countries, villages, and families are also prone to such influence. The effects of entropy can be seen on the individual level, in the emotional and physical changes that impact our lives. As the porches of our homes lean and sag from their years of exposure, so can the heart sink, from a pattern of loss, fear, and cynicism.
In composing Entropy, I was influenced by the work of the Futurist artists, where various images of an object in motion are presented simultaneously, creating a fractured effect. The oscillation of timbre and the natural decay of sound are important aspects of the piece, and there is an exaggerated use of dynamics that becomes, in a sense, a form of counterpoint."
We the People
For narrator, chorus (SATB, SSAA, or TTBB), six cellos, and pianoDuration: 35 minutes
In the spring of 2008, the Supreme Court of California legalized same-sex marriage. Between May and early November, over 18,000 same-sex couples were legally married. But with the recent passage of Proposition 8, these marriages are now in jeopardy and all same-sex marriage rights have been outlawed.
Is there such a thing as a fundamental right to marry?
Does the Constitution guarantee this right to everyone?
As the debate over same-sex marriage unfolds, Americans must ask themselves how dedicated they are to the concept of true equality. We the People is a choral musical that explores this controversial question. Using music combined with imagery, the piece is designed to create awareness about same-sex marriage and to personalize the stories of those Americans who are most affected by marriage inequality.
The Narrator’s part is a non-singing role. Choral parts can be performed by as few as four singers or by an entire chorus. Accompaniment can be performed on piano alone if necessary.
Ask Me No More
For mezzo-soprano and pianoDuration: 4 minutes
Poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson
ASK ME NO MORE was featured at London’s Wigmore Hall
Mezzo-soprano Laurie Rubin and pianist David Wilkinson premiered the song Ask Me No More in their Wigmore Hall recital on June 19, 2006. The piece was specifically composed for the Rubin/Wilkinson duo.
ICARUS
Available in two versions:For Orchestra
(3-3-3-3, 4-3-2-1, timp + 3 percussion, piano, harp, strings)
For Brass Ensemble with Percussion
(4 trps, 4 hrns, 3 trbns, 1 bass trbn, 2 tubas, timp. + 3 perc.)
Duration: 9 minutes
Icarus is a tone poem depicting the myth of the same name. It begins with Icarus being presented a pair of wings by his father, followed by his first attempts to fly. It includes descriptive sequences of flight and soaring, including a canonic interaction with a flock of birds. The piece is colorful and dramatic.
La Femme au Chapeau
For flute/alto flute, viola, and harpDuration: 7 minutes
La Femme au Chapeau (the woman with the hat) is inspired by Henri Matisse’s painting of the same name (1905). A portrait of Matisse’s wife, the painting marks a period where the artist explored a use of vibrant color to create deeper expression in his work. When first shown at the Salon d’Automne, the painting created a scandal for its radical use of color in a formal portrait. It currently hangs in the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and is part of the permanent collection.
